North Atlantic right whale

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'A Beacon of Hope Has Turned Into a Tragedy'

First baby right whale of season found dead from injuries caused by ship collision

(Newser) - The first confirmed baby right whale of the year has been found dead from a collision with a ship, a devastating blow for the vanishing species, reports the AP . North Atlantic right whales number less than 360, and they are vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Federal...

Another Endangered Whale Dead in US Waters

Right whale appears to have been struck by a ship, an increasingly common hazard

(Newser) - Federal authorities said the second critically endangered North Atlantic right whale found dead in the last month appears to have been struck by a ship. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it was notified of a dead right whale floating off Savannah, Georgia, on Feb. 13. The agency said...

Decline of Rare Whale May Be Leveling Off

But total number of North Atlantic right whales remains below 400 on US East Coast

(Newser) - The decline of one of the rarest whales in the world appears to be slowing, but scientists warn the giant mammals still face existential threats from warming oceans, ship collisions, and entanglement in fishing gear, per the AP . The population of North Atlantic right whales, which live off the US...

Whale Snared in Ropes Gives Birth to Miracle Calf

Endangered baby looks healthy, but biologists fear for mom

(Newser) - A critically endangered right whale was spotted tangled in fishing rope off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts in March. She was spotted again recently near Georgia—with a newborn calf. Wildlife photographers captured shots of the miracle mom with rope snagged in her mouth, with a calf trailing...

For This Endangered Species, an 'Encouraging Sign'

Scientists: N. Atlantic right whales gave birth this winter in larger numbers since 2015

(Newser) - North Atlantic right whales gave birth over the winter in greater numbers than scientists have seen since 2015, an encouraging sign for researchers who became alarmed three years ago when the critically endangered species produced no known offspring at all. Survey teams spotted 17 newborn right whale calves swimming with...

3 Endangered Whale Calves Have Made 'Perilous' Journey

3 of 7 North Atlantic right whales in this year's 'baby boom' have arrived in New England

(Newser) - An endangered species of whale is experiencing a mini-baby boom in New England waters, researchers on Cape Cod tell the AP . The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest species of whale on the planet, numbering only about 411. But the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Mass....

Stork Is Visiting Critically Endangered Right Whales

7 new calves have been spotted off Florida, Georgia, in the wake of 0 last year

(Newser) - First there was one. But now the good news from critically endangered North Atlantic right whales has multiplied by seven—the number of new calves spotted so far this year in the waters off Florida and Georgia, reports the Daytona Beach News-Journal . That's especially encouraging given the zero calves...

This 'Could Be the Beginning of the End' for Endangered Whale

No confirmed right whale births so far this year

(Newser) - The winter calving season for critically endangered right whales has nearly ended with zero newborns spotted in the past four months—a reproductive drought that scientists who study the fragile species haven't seen in three decades. Right whales typically give birth off the southeastern US coast between December and...

Officials Fear Whale Facing Extinction

Rare right whales' numbers are dwindling after 17 died this year

(Newser) - Scientists are raising a red flag over the future of endangered right whales after a high number died in 2017. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that there are only about 450 North Atlantic right whales left after 17 were reported dead this year, according to Phys.org...

How Whale Rescuer Was Killed by Whale He'd Just Freed

'He probably didn't feel anything'

(Newser) - "He was really happy at his very last moment," Philip Hamilton tells the CBC . "I take some comfort in that." The research scientist was the only person not employed by Canada's Fisheries and Oceans department to witness the July 10 death of volunteer whale rescuer...

After Whale Kills Man Who Rescued It, NOAA Reacts

US, Canada temporarily suspend right whale rescue operations

(Newser) - The US and Canada are suspending their official efforts to free North Atlantic right whales tangled in fishing lines after the death of a rescuer during an operation Monday. NPR reports former Canadian fisherman and whale rescue expert Joe Howlett had just cut a right whale free from fishing lines...

Unusual Way to Help Whales: Colored Lobster Rope

Scientists say it can cut down on entanglements

(Newser) - Preventing endangered northern right whales from becoming entangled in lobster gear could be as simple as changing the color of rope, a whale researcher says. If the whales can see the fishing gear more clearly, then they are better able to avoid it, says Scott Kraus, a leading researcher on...

Rare Right Whales Flock to Cape Cod

Plankton is especially plentiful this year

(Newser) - There are only 473 North Atlantic right whales on the planet, but almost half of them have been spotted gorging themselves on an unusual feast off the coast of Cape Cod this year. "The current must be piling the plankton up," a scientist with the Center for Coastal...

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